i couldn't breath during pushing contractions. Is this normal?

[StellaBlueBell]

When I was on drip to speed things up during labour I couldn't breath during the pushing contractions. The wind would suddenly be knocked right out of me and if another contraction came quickly I was gasping for breath in between contractions. I found it very scary. The closest thing I've experienced to it is when you vomited several times in a row. You just can't breath apart from between vomits so it can be a bit scary. The midwife seemed to like these contractions as they moved the head but is it normal to not be able to breath? Im wondering if they have the drip on too high making the contractions too strong? I'm really confused by this experience. If this is normal I've never heard anyone mention it before.

Induced labour is a bastard.

The contractions can come very thick and fast.
Also the pain is the 'wrong way round'. So, rather than a spiral upwards to the peak of pain, you get hit by the peak first, then a spiral down.
It can be almost impossible to catch your breath and relax and breath through the pain.

Hope you and baby are ok.
Once you've recovered, get a copy of your notes from the hospital and, if you have any questions, go and get a debrief.

It wasn't the pain that stopped me breathing tho. I actually found the dilating the more painful and i was able to breath through the contractions (albeit was no walk in the park!). It seemed to be related to the force of the push down. It was a very physical inability to breath,unrelated to pain, like when you are winded. Like my diaphragm was forced down with each push or something.

We are both ok by the way They had to turn the drip right down to 1 as there were signs it was too high. I could breath again a while after they turned it down so maybe this was another sign that the contractions were too strong. It sounds like it's not normal anyway or someone else would have had it.

I felt kind of similar during the pushing stage. Every contraction pushed the air out of my lungs. I actually thought my ribs would break. My experience wasn't as scary as yours sounds though.

I experienced this when I had DS2 6 wks ago and I remember making some very odd sounds which were involuntary, somewhere between trying to trying to take a breath and a gasp and my body pushing on its own. Hard to describe but I think I understand!

Yes, I remember this very vividly. I was induced as well but until now hadn't even thought to connect the two.

Thank goodness it's not just me. Thought I was going mad!

NewYear: my theory is that's it's linked to the drip as my own body surely wouldn't make contractions so strong or so frequent that I couldn't breath. Also it did stop not long after drip was turned right down. But it's just a guess

As I understand it the diaphragm is definitely a part of pushing (whether in labour or if constipated) - the diaphragm basically presses downwards on the top of the womb to supplement the uterus contractions. The reason they ask women to pant through the crowning stage is because panting stops the diaphragm doing this and therefore means you can't push as hard.

So that might make sense that if the contractions were very strong it could affect your breathing?

Yes, I think it might - never actually got into labour (even on the drip!) so can't comment from personal experience though!

I have been through exactly what you've described.

I was induced and put straight on the drip with my second baby. They turned it up way too high and even when it was alternated it was too late. I had just over an hour and a half or agonising, excruciating contractions, wave after wave. In between I could barely catch my breath and vomited repeatedly. It was unreal pain. So much so that pushing an almost 10lb baby out was the best part, it hardly registered. I only had gas and air and was too far gone for any other pain relief. I was too out of it to have requested anyway. My husband was very worried about me he said I was I reachable but not in the normal woman in labour way.

I'm due to be induced again in 17 weeks with my third baby and due to my age it is another drip induction. I'm dreading it and have already captured my previous experience on my birth plan. It will be my third induction and both previous times I went into over contractions within two hours of drip or pessary so they need to be aware.

How I wish I would go into labour of my own accord at 37-38 weeks and avoid the whole thing.

*Altered not alternated

Gin did they give u a reason why they had needed to turn it up so high in the first place? With me they seemed pleased with the progress with drip on a low setting (i was dilating etc) and everything was heading the right way but they said 'let's see if we can speed it up' and turned drip up and then all hell broke loose...Drs everywhere panicking. Seemed really unnecessary when everything had been progressing happily anyway. It felt like they just weren't willing to wait slightly longer.

My midwife turned the drip up because I was under pressure from the dr to go into active labour within a specific time frame otherwise they'd transfer me for a caesarian (failed induction(CS first time around) and I really wanted to try a vaginal birth.

I had no pain relief and it was all over in 1.5 hours. I had gone to ante natal yoga though and breathed through the pain (was really amazed that it worked as was a bit skeptical). Actually, I loved giving birth so breathing must have worked for me I guess. Plus, dd2 was only 7lb 9

I was just talking about this today. The induction drip was awful, extremely painful. The midwife seemed to only have maximum or minimum setting. No in between. Epidural was a literal lifesaver for ds1. He was back to back and also res of trouble.
More noticeable when I had ds2 naturally. The pain progressed more naturally (and quicker), so much so that I wasn't sure if I was in proper labour and the midwife kept trying to send me home.